Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-11-15
TWO KINDS OF "HELL-HoLEs."

attention, and has already awakened in
dignant inquiry on the part of State gov
ernments. According to the Journal, in
the great lumber regions of Wisconsin
and Michigan there exist what it appro-
priately STYLES hell-holes." They are
houses strongly built, surrounded by high
stockades, and those barriers by heavy
lines of brush and brier bushes and by
deep bitches, guarded by armed men and
by bloodhounds. The doors and windows
Of the houses are arranged so as to be Sc
curely closed and barred in moment. and
loopholes for rifles pierce the walls. Into
these places, which are remote from large
towns, and which are frequented by the
rough element of the lumber regions, are
lured or brought by kidnsping-s few
only coming by free willNyoung women,
who, once within the stockade, are lost
They are stripped of the last stitch of
their clothing, given gaudy short dresses
in lieu, and made to serve their masters in
the vilest manner, and in some known in
stances have, in resistance, met with death
One young victim, who innocently went
into one of these traps of vice, fortunately
escaped and returned to civilization. Her
revelations have shocked the communi-
ties of the West, and astonished those good
people who have not believed such bar
barity and slavery possible in this free
land
The Chicago Herald vainly endeavored
to get at the facts by sending its reporters
to visit these redoubts of infamy but no
reporter, as such, was able to gain admis-
sion. But, by mixing with the rough
class and assuming their manners, one or
two, after time, managed to gain access
to these hell-holes, and, as the Journal
puts 1T, the stories of wretchedness, ruin,
brutality, depravity and hopelessness
which they sent back were startling and
sickening, indeed. If they had been con-
cocted by the most active and reeking
imagination of the French "realist."
they could not have been more horrible in
their revelations.
1t Is related in detail how the girls,
trapped to these sinks, are beaten, kicked,
starved and tortured into submission, and
become at last the most debased of slaves.
Generally each one has some male brute
assigned to her as guard to watch her,
prevent her escape and secure the wages of
her infamy. The people of the sections
land these hell-holes are found in MANY
parts of frontier Wisconsin and northwest
Michigan are fully aware of the character
of these places, but have either grown cal
lous to the iniquity or are fearful to assail
them lawfully or otherwise As for the
local authorities, it is understood that the
keepers of these forest bagnios stand in !"
with the officers, who are conveniently
blind, and in answer TO any protest reply
that the women are depraved creatures
brought from the cities, and not worthy
interference any more than are those of
the Barbary coasts of Chicago and Mil
waukee. But this has been shown to be
untrue IN the great majority of cases.
Recently reporter for an enterprising pa
per-who, in disguise, was investigating
these hell-holeS" murdered in one
of the sinks. This event has shamed the
people into some show Of indignation, and
1t is now possible that the places will be
broken up.
This is all horrible enough, but strange
as 1t may appear, counterparts for the
hell-holes" of the Northwest are to be
fonnd in the heart of every California city.
The only difference between the cases is
that in one the women are white, and are
kidnapped, or, by promise of household
employment are lured into these places.
while in the other the women are Chinese
and are bought out Of hand, imported for
Villainous purposes, and enslaved in the
open day in the face of the law, which is
successfully invoked, and its servants
hired for coin, to secure the Chinese
bagnio keepers in the possession of their
human chattels, which they buy and sell
and transfer as so much merchandise.
The slavery in the California case is if
anything, more cruel and merciIess, for the
claim of absolute ownership of human be-
ings is made aud maintained there is no
secresy concerning it, and the chattel has
not the faintest hope of escape, except by
fleeing when opportunity presents-which
1t rarely does-to strange people, foreign
to her tongue and race. for protection and
support Her whole lfe-training has inca
pacitated her for honest work, and she is
unable to help herself in any consider
able degree. She seldom realizes what
liberty is, or that she is creature equal in
all human rights to her "master."
At times knowledge of her rights is
communicated to her, and then, under
standing sufficiently to feel the natural de-
sire for liberty, she makes an effort and
escapes. Stockades and bloodhounds,
oAihSN AuSil anu guns are HOT uoe0, now
ever, to effect her recovery. As in Wis
eonsin, so here, the keeper Of the hell-hole
has the private ear of officials. Oaicers
receiving fat fees put into operation the
machinery of the law; Aimsey charges are
trumped up against the poor wretch, she
is dragged before a magistrate, and in
seven eases out of ten by Judicial process
resulting from unblushing perjury, she is
returned to the hell-hole and the endless
slavery of the Chinese quarter.
The parallel is not perfect. however. in
some other respects. The northwest male
procurer seeks the confines of civilization
and hides his nefarious business in the
dense pine woods of the far north. where
civilization still contends with sayaoerv
for the mastery. The California male nro-
curer, however, locates his plant under the
very shadow of the churches and schools
of the cities, and marshsls his slaves daily
under close guard upon the highways of
business. The Wisconsin master de6es tbo
low. tho -;